The City

Gospel of God

Paul seemed to truly love the people of the church in Thessalonica. He writes to them thanking God for their work of faith and labor of love and steadfastness of hope in the Lord Jesus Christ. He calls them brothers loved by God. They had received the word of God and had become examples to other believers and had sounded forth the word they had believed. They were eagerly awaiting the Lord’s return. What a great testimony for this church!

What caused this church to have such a testimony? Why are their faith and love and hope so strong? Why are those things specifically and firmly planted in Jesus Christ? Why were they willing to imitate the Lord in the midst of affliction? Perhaps a phrase that Paul uses three times in chapter 2 will help us understand.

In verses 2, 8, and 9, Paul speaks of the gospel of God. In verse 4, he says God has entrusted him with the gospel, implying that it is the gospel of God. In verse 13, he says they received the word of God, again implying the gospel of God.

Paul is not just talking about any gospel. He is emphasizing that the gospel comes from God, not from man. The gospel, the good news that Christ died according to the scriptures, was buried and rose again, according to the scriptures is of first importance and could never have been conceived by man. Any idea coming from man having to do with atoning for sin would include some work or effort that man had to perform or some level of goodness he had to achieve. That’s why all other religions in the world are based on self attainment. Any other gospel is not really good news. Any other gospel is a false gospel. The only true gospel is the gospel of God.

The gospel of God, conceived in the mind of God, contradicts every thought of man achieving salvation and favor with God by his own effort. The gospel of God is different and far above anything man would concOct. The gospel of God, from the very word of God, is the great redemptive plan that could only be conceived and accomplished by God Himself.

The gospel of God is the only gospel that can change lives as it did for the Thessalonians and as it does for us and all who believe. It’s the gospel of God that produced their work of faith and labor of love and steadfastness of hope. That happened because the gospel of God came in power in the Holy Spirit as Paul says in verse 5.

May the power of the gospel of God produce the same changes in us. May it increase our faith and love and hope. May it make us bold to proclaim it. May it make us willing to suffer for it if necessary. May it make us optimistically await His return.

Dale

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Mary Leadbetter

Amen.

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Redeemer Church

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